Behind the Façades in France: What expats and the mainstream media (French and American alike) fail to notice (or fail to tell you) about French attitudes, principles, values, and official positions…

Saturday, February 20, 2016

French Philosopher Equates Today's English-Language Ads with Nazi-Era Proclamations of the 1940s

Same old, same old.

The Daily Telegraph's
Stephen Clarke can usually be counted upon to get up in arms about denizens rising to the defense of the French language.

A French philosopher, whose philosophy clearly
isn’t strong enough to make him philosophical, has been complaining
about the amount of English used in France. Michel Serres told a newspaper
that he had seen “more English written on the walls of Toulouse than
there was German during the Occupation”. He means advertising, not
graffiti (which is pretty illegible anyway).

Now, leaving aside the fact
that the “English” adverts in question are very often bilingual puns
invented by French companies rather than Anglo invaders, it is pretty
thoughtless (to say the very least) to compare advertising posters that
we are free to ignore completely with Nazi proclamations informing
people that they will be shot if they are found out of doors after
curfew or sent to death camps if they belong to certain ethnic groups.
Perhaps Monsieur Serres is just practising the philosophy of the absurd.
The absurdly absurd.

The above-named “philosopher” (sorry, I can’t believe he “loves
ideas”) also suggests that French people boycott any shops that have
English names or use English slogans. Why just English, though? Why not
boycott every pizzeria that doesn’t change its name to “Italian-style
restaurant selling hot, circular covered breads”? And why not encourage
foreigners to do the same whenever they see a French brand in their mall
or high street? Michel Serres would translate as “Michael Greenhouses”,
and a jibe springs to mind about throwing stones.

Surely if you are a true philosopher and believe in individual
freedom, you should let people buy what they want – as, in fact, they
currently do? Anyone who doesn’t like the English name of a shop or café
in France simply doesn’t go there. No need to call for a boycott. The
French are free. You see, Monsieur Greenhouse, it’s not really like a
Nazi occupation at all.

… People everywhere are inventing new phrases and new words every day. Language is a DIY affair, not a government policy.

… despite what certain “philosophers” think, the ideal solution to
language issues is not to have things banned, it is to see them shared
and explained. Why make people poorer when you can enrich them? As
Albert Camus said, “the evil in the world usually arises from
ignorance.”